Display apparatus having dam members

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus includes: a substrate having a display area and a non-display area at least partially surrounding the display area; a plurality of pixels disposed in the display area of the substrate; a plurality of first projections disposed in the non-display area of the substrate extending along an edge of the substrate; and a second projection disposed on the substrate between the plurality of first projections and the display area, the second projection including a plurality of cavities arranged in a plurality of columns to limit flow of excess organic material during manufacture, wherein the cavities may be arranged in adjacent columns staggered from each other in a direction transverse to the columns.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2017-0183048, filed on Dec. 28, 2017, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND Field

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate generally to a displayapparatus and, more specifically, to a display apparatus including dammembers to reduce overflow of an organic material used to make a layeror component in the display.

Discussion of the Background

Among display apparatuses, an organic light emitting display apparatusdisplays an image using a plurality of organic light emitting elementsthat emit a light by recombination of electrons and holes. Compared to aliquid crystal display apparatus, the organic light emitting displayapparatus does not need a separate light source and has variousadvantages, e.g., a superior brightness, a superior viewing angle, afast response time, a low power consumption, etc.

To manufacture the organic light emitting display apparatus, a pluralityof pixels including the organic light emitting elements are formed on asubstrate, and then, a thin film encapsulation layer is provided on thesubstrate to cover the plurality of pixels. The thin film encapsulationlayer includes an inorganic insulating layer and an organic insulatinglayer. A liquid organic material is provided on a substrate and cured toform the organic insulating layer. If excessive amounts of liquidorganic material is applied onto the substrate, the liquid organicmaterial overflows the substrate.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only forunderstanding of the background of the inventive concepts, and,therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute priorart.

SUMMARY

Display apparatus and methods of manufacturing display apparatusconstructed according to the principles and exemplary embodiments of theinventions reduce or prevent overflow of an organic material used tomake a layer or component in the display. Avoiding excess organicmaterial from flowing to other parts of the display and/or overflowingthe substrate increases the reliability and/or operating performance ofthe display and may obviate additional processing steps required toremoved the excess organic material.

Additional features of the inventive concepts will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the inventive concepts.

According to one or more embodiments of the invention, a displayapparatus includes: a substrate having a display area and a non-displayarea at least partially surrounding the display area; a plurality ofpixels disposed in the display area of the substrate; a plurality offirst projections disposed in the non-display area of the substrateextending along an edge of the substrate; and a second projectiondisposed on the substrate between the plurality of first projections andthe display area, the second projection including a plurality ofcavities arranged in a plurality of columns to limit flow of excessorganic material during manufacture, wherein the cavities may bearranged in adjacent columns staggered from each other in a directiontransverse to the columns.

The second projection may include a dummy dam member disposed on thesubstrate as a single layer.

The second projection may include organic material.

The second projection may have a width greater than a width of each ofthe plurality of first projections.

The first projections may include dam members and the second projectionmay include a dummy dam member, each dam member including: a first dammember having a height higher than a height of the dummy dam member; anda second dam member having a height higher than the height of the firstdam member, wherein the second dam member may be disposed adjacent tothe edge of the substrate, and wherein the first dam member may bedisposed between the dummy dam member and the second dam member.

The first dam member may include: a first dam insulating layer disposedon the substrate; a second dam insulating layer disposed on the firstdam insulating layer; and a third dam insulating layer disposed on thesecond dam insulating layer.

The second dam member may include: a fourth dam insulating layerdisposed on the substrate; a fifth dam insulating layer disposed on thefourth dam insulating layer; a sixth dam insulating layer disposed onthe fifth dam insulating layer; and a seventh dam insulating layerdisposed on the sixth dam insulating layer.

Each of the first dam insulating layer, the second dam insulating layer,the third dam insulating layer, the fourth dam insulating layer, thefifth dam insulating layer, the sixth dam insulating layer, and theseventh dam insulating layer may include organic material.

The cavities may include holes and the second projection may include: abody portion in which the holes are defined, the body portion at leastpartially surrounding the display area; and a plurality of protrudingportions extending from one side of the body portion facing the displayarea.

The plurality of protruding portions may be staggered in a transversedirection with respect to the cavities arranged in a column adjacent tothe plurality of protruding portions.

Each of the plurality of protruding portions may have at least one of arectangular shape, a triangular shape, and a semicircular shape.

Adjacent protruding portions may have different sizes from each other.

The display may further include: an insulating layer disposed in thedisplay area of the substrate and extending to the non-display areaadjacent to the first projection; and a thin film encapsulation layercovering the plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels mayinclude: a plurality of transistors disposed on the substrate; and aplurality of light emitting elements connected to the plurality oftransistors, wherein the insulating layer may be disposed on theplurality of transistors, wherein the plurality of light emittingelements may be disposed on the insulating layer and connected to theplurality of transistors through a plurality of contact holes definedthrough the insulating layer, and wherein the thin film encapsulationlayer may be disposed on the plurality of light emitting elements.

The thin film encapsulation layer may include: a first encapsulationlayer disposed on the substrate to cover the plurality of light emittingelements in the display area and the insulating layer, the secondprojection, and the plurality of first projections in the non-displayarea; a second encapsulation layer disposed on the first encapsulationlayer in the display area and extending to the non-display area, thesecond encapsulation layer being disposed on a portion of the insulatinglayer adjacent to a boundary of the insulating layer in the non-displayarea; and a third encapsulation layer disposed on the firstencapsulation layer to cover the second encapsulation layer.

Each of the first and third encapsulation layers may include aninorganic material and the second encapsulation layer may include anorganic material and the cavities are configured to receive excessiveorganic material from the second encapsulation layer.

The second projection may be disposed between the boundary of theinsulating layer and the plurality of first projections

The second projection may be disposed on the insulating layer andbetween the boundary of the insulating layer and a boundary of thesecond encapsulation layer.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention, adisplay apparatus includes: a substrate having a display area and anon-display area at least partially surrounding the display area; aplurality of pixels disposed in the display area of the substrate; aplurality of first members disposed in the non-display area of thesubstrate extending along an edge of the substrate; and a plurality ofsecond members disposed on the substrate between the plurality of firstmembers and the display area, each of the plurality of second membersincluding: a side wall portion extending to surround the display area;and a plurality of protruding portions projecting from one side of theside wall portion facing the display area.

Each of the plurality of protruding portions may have at least one shapeof a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, and a semicircular shape.

Adjacent protruding portions may have different sizes from each other.

The plurality of second members may include a plurality of dummy dammembers, and the plurality of first members may include a plurality ofdam members, each of the plurality of dam members including: a first dammember having a height higher than a height of each of the plurality ofdummy dam members; and a second dam member having a height higher thanthe height of the first dam member, wherein the second dam member may bedisposed adjacent to the edge of the substrate, and wherein the firstdam member may be disposed between the plurality of dummy dam membersand the second dam member.

Each of the plurality of dummy dam members may have a thickness in arange of about 2 micrometers (μm) to about 5 micrometers (μm), whereinthe thickness of each of the plurality of dummy dam members may bedefined by a distance between a bottom surface and a top surface of eachof the plurality of dummy dam members, and wherein each of the pluralityof dummy dam members may have a width greater than or equal to about 10micrometers (μm), wherein the width of each of the plurality of dummydam members may be defined by a distance between one side surface andthe other side surface of each of the plurality of dummy dam members.

The plurality of second members may include a plurality of dummy dammembers, each of which may include: a first dummy dam member; and asecond dummy dam member disposed between the first dummy dam member andthe plurality of dam members, wherein the plurality of protrudingportions of the first dummy dam member may be alternately arranged withthe plurality of protruding portions of the second dummy dam member.

The display apparatus may further include: an insulating layer disposedin the display area of the substrate and extending to the non-displayarea adjacent to the plurality of second members; and a thin filmencapsulation layer covering the plurality of pixels, wherein theplurality of pixels may include: a plurality of transistors disposed onthe substrate; and a plurality of light emitting elements connected tothe plurality of transistors, wherein the insulating layer may bedisposed on the plurality of transistors, wherein the plurality of lightemitting elements may be disposed on the insulating layer and connectedto the plurality of transistors through a plurality of contact holesdefined through the insulating layer, and wherein the thin filmencapsulation layer may be disposed on the plurality of light emittingelements.

The thin film encapsulation layer may include: a first encapsulationlayer disposed on the substrate to cover the plurality of light emittingelements in the display area and the insulating layer, the plurality ofsecond members, and the plurality of first members in the non-displayarea; a second encapsulation layer disposed on the first encapsulationlayer in the display area and extending to the non-display area, thesecond encapsulation layer being disposed on a portion of the insulatinglayer adjacent to a boundary of the insulating layer in the non-displayarea; and a third encapsulation layer disposed on the firstencapsulation layer to cover the second encapsulation layer.

The plurality of second members may be disposed between the boundary ofthe insulating layer and the plurality of first members.

The plurality of second members may be disposed on the insulating layerand between the boundary of the insulating layer and a boundary of thesecond encapsulation layer.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention, adisplay apparatus includes: a substrate having a display area and anon-display area at least partially surrounding the display area; aplurality of pixels disposed in the display area of the substrate; and aplurality of first members disposed in the non-display area of thesubstrate extending along an edge of the substrate, each of theplurality of first members including: a side wall portion extending tosurround the display area; and a plurality of protruding portionsextending from one side of the side wall portion facing the displayarea, wherein at least one of the side wall portion and the protrudingportions may be configured to limit flow or excessive organic materialduring manufacture.

The plurality of first members may include dam members, each of whichmay include: a first dam member; and a second dam member having a heighthigher than a height of the first dam member, wherein the second dammember may be disposed adjacent to the edge of the substrate, whereinthe first dam member may be disposed between the display area and thesecond dam member, and wherein the plurality of protruding portions ofthe first dam member may be staggered in a transverse direction with theplurality of protruding portions of the second dam member.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a methodfor manufacturing a display apparatus includes the steps of: forming asubstrate having a display area containing pixels and a non-displayarea; forming a first projection in the non-display area along an edgeof the substrate; forming a second projection in the non-display areabetween the first projections and the pixels, the second projectioncomprising: cavities arranged in adjacent columns staggered from eachother in a direction transverse to the columns; forming a firstencapsulation layer comprising inorganic material on the substrate tocover the first projection and the second projection; forming a secondencapsulation layer comprising organic material on the firstencapsulation layer; receiving excess organic material in at least oneof the cavities; and forming a third encapsulation layer comprisinginorganic material on the second encapsulation layer and the firstprojection and the second projection.

The step of forming the second projection may include: forming a bodyportion in which the cavities are defined at least partially surroundingthe display area; and forming protruding portions extending from oneside of the body portion facing the display area.

The step of forming the substrate may include: forming an insulatinglayer in the display area of the substrate that extends to thenon-display area; and forming the pixels on the insulating layer in thedisplay area of the substrate, wherein the second projection may beformed between the boundary of the insulating layer and the firstprojection.

The step of forming the substrate may include: forming an insulatinglayer in the display area of the substrate that extends to thenon-display area; and forming the pixels on the insulating layer in thedisplay area of the substrate, wherein the second projection may beformed between the boundary of the insulating layer and the secondencapsulation layer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and together with the description serve to explain theinventive concepts.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a display apparatus constructedaccording to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a representative pixelillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the pixel illustrated inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I′ illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a dummy dam member shownin

FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-IF illustrated inFIG. 5.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are plan views illustrating various exemplaryembodiments of dummy dam members that may be used in the displayapparatus constructed according to exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatusconstructed according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatusconstructed according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a portion of the dummy dam membersillustrated in FIG. 12.

FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 are plan views illustrating various exemplaryembodiments of the dummy dam member that may be used in the displayapparatus constructed according to exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatusconstructed according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatusconstructed according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating first and second dam membersshown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a plan view illustrating the first and second dam membersillustrated in FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of theinvention. As used herein “embodiments” and “implementations” areinterchangeable words that are non-limiting examples of devices ormethods employing one or more of the inventive concepts disclosedherein. It is apparent, however, that various exemplary embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details or with one or moreequivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring various exemplary embodiments. Further, various exemplaryembodiments may be different, but do not have to be exclusive. Forexample, specific shapes, configurations, and characteristics of anexemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in another exemplaryembodiment without departing from the inventive concepts.

Unless otherwise specified, the illustrated exemplary embodiments are tobe understood as providing exemplary features of varying detail of someways in which the inventive concepts may be implemented in practice.Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the features, components,modules, layers, films, panels, regions, and/or aspects, etc.(hereinafter individually or collectively referred to as “elements”), ofthe various embodiments may be otherwise combined, separated,interchanged, and/or rearranged without departing from the inventiveconcepts.

The use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the accompanying drawings isgenerally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements. Assuch, neither the presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shadingconveys or indicates any preference or requirement for particularmaterials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalitiesbetween illustrated elements, and/or any other characteristic,attribute, property, etc., of the elements, unless specified. Further,in the accompanying drawings, the size and relative sizes of elementsmay be exaggerated for clarity and/or descriptive purposes. When anexemplary embodiment may be implemented differently, a specific processorder may be performed differently from the described order. Forexample, two consecutively described processes may be performedsubstantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to thedescribed order. Also, like reference numerals denote like elements.

When an element, such as a layer, is referred to as being “on,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer orintervening elements or layers may be present. When, however, an elementor layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,”or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are nointervening elements or layers present. To this end, the term“connected” may refer to physical, electrical, and/or fluid connection,with or without intervening elements. Further, the D1-axis, the D2-axis,and the D3-axis are not limited to three axes of a rectangularcoordinate system, such as the x, y, and z-axes, and may be interpretedin a broader sense. For example, the D1-axis, the D2-axis, and theD3-axis may be perpendicular to one another, or may represent differentdirections that are not perpendicular to one another. For the purposesof this disclosure, “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least oneselected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as Xonly, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z,such as, for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein todescribe various types of elements, these elements should not be limitedby these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element fromanother element. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed asecond element without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “lower,”“above,” “upper,” “over,” “higher,” “side” (e.g., as in “sidewall”), andthe like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and, thereby, todescribe one elements relationship to another element(s) as illustratedin the drawings. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and/ormanufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. Forexample, if the apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elementsdescribed as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would thenbe oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplaryterm “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below.Furthermore, the apparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90degrees or at other orientations), and, as such, the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover,the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms“substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms, are used as terms ofapproximation and not as terms of degree, and, as such, are utilized toaccount for inherent deviations in measured, calculated, and/or providedvalues that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference tosectional and/or exploded illustrations that are schematic illustrationsof idealized exemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. Assuch, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should notnecessarily be construed as limited to the particular illustrated shapesof regions, but are to include deviations in shapes that result from,for instance, manufacturing. In this manner, regions illustrated in thedrawings may be schematic in nature and the shapes of these regions maynot reflect actual shapes of regions of a device and, as such, are notnecessarily intended to be limiting.

As customary in the field, some exemplary embodiments are described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings in terms of functional blocks,units, and/or modules. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthese blocks, units, and/or modules are physically implemented byelectronic (or optical) circuits, such as logic circuits, discretecomponents, microprocessors, hard-wired circuits, memory elements,wiring connections, and the like, which may be formed usingsemiconductor-based fabrication techniques or other manufacturingtechnologies. In the case of the blocks, units, and/or modules beingimplemented by microprocessors or other similar hardware, they may beprogrammed and controlled using software (e.g., microcode) to performvarious functions discussed herein and may optionally be driven byfirmware and/or software. It is also contemplated that each block, unit,and/or module may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or as acombination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions and aprocessor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associatedcircuitry) to perform other functions. Also, each block, unit, and/ormodule of some exemplary embodiments may be physically separated intotwo or more interacting and discrete blocks, units, and/or moduleswithout departing from the scope of the inventive concepts. Further, theblocks, units, and/or modules of some exemplary embodiments may bephysically combined into more complex blocks, units, and/or moduleswithout departing from the scope of the inventive concepts.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms,such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in anidealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

Hereinafter, the principles of the invention will be explained in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a display apparatus 100 constructedaccording to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display apparatus 100 according to theillustrated embodiment of the invention may include a display panel 110,a scan driver 120, a data driver 130, an emission driver 140, aplurality of first and second projections, which may take the form ofdam members DM1 and DM2, and a dummy dam member DDM, respectively. Thedisplay panel 110 may be an organic light emitting display panel, butthe exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto or thereby. Forexample, various display panels, such as a liquid crystal display panel,an electrowetting display panel, and an electrophoretic display panel,etc., may be used as the display panel 110.

The display panel 110 may be a flexible display panel. For example, thedisplay panel 110 may include a substrate formed of a plastic materialhaving flexibility and a plurality of electronic elements disposed onthe substrate. The display panel 110 may have a rectangular shape whichhas short sides parallel to a first direction DR1 and long sidesparallel to a second direction DR2 crossing the first direction DR1.

The display panel 110 may have a flat surface (or a planar surface)parallel to the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. Theflat surface of the display panel 110 may include a display area DA anda non-display area NDA surrounding the display area DA. The display areaDA corresponds to an area which an image is display, and the non-displayarea NDA corresponds to an area which no image is displayed.

The display panel 110 may include a plurality of pixels PX, a pluralityof scan lines SL1 to SLm, a plurality of data lines DL1 to DLn, and aplurality of emission lines EL1 to ELm. Each of the “m′” and “n” is anatural number. For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 shows onepixel PX, however the display panel 110 substantially includes theplurality of pixels PX arranged thereon. The plurality of pixels PX maybe arranged in a matrix form in the display area DA and may be connectedto the scan lines SL1 to SLm, the data lines DL1 to DLn, and theemission lines EL1 to ELm.

The scan driver 120, the data driver 130, and the emission driver 140may be disposed in the non-display area NDA. The scan driver 120 may bedisposed in the non-display area NDA adjacent to one side of the displaypanel 110, which corresponds to one side of the long sides of thedisplay panel 110. The emission driver 140 may be disposed in thenon-display area NDA adjacent to another side of the display panel 110,which is opposite to the one side of the display panel 110. The datadriver 130 may be implemented in an integrated circuit form and may bedisposed in the non-display area NDA adjacent to one side of the shortsides of the display panel 110.

The scan lines SL1 to SLm may extend in the first direction DR1 and maybe connected to the scan driver 120. The scan lines SL1 to SLm mayreceive a plurality of scan signals from the scan driver 120. The datalines DL1 to DLn may extend in the second direction DR2 and may beconnected to the data driver 130. The data lines DL1 to DLn may receivea plurality of data voltages from the data driver 130. The emissionlines EL1 to ELm may extend in the first direction DR1 and may beconnected to the emission driver 140. The emission lines EL1 to ELm mayreceive a plurality of emission signals from the emission driver 140.

The scan driver 120 may generate the scan signals, and the scan signalsmay be applied to the plurality of pixels PX through the scan lines SL1to SLm. The scan signals may be applied sequentially to the plurality ofpixels PX. The data driver 130 may generate the data voltages, and thedata voltages may be applied to the plurality of pixels PX through thedata lines DL1 to DLn. The emission driver 140 may generate the emissionsignals, and the emission signals may be applied to the plurality ofpixels PX through the emission lines EL1 to ELm.

The display apparatus 100 may include a timing controller to controloperations of the scan driver 120, the data driver 130, and the emissiondriver 140. The timing controller may generate a scan control signal, adata control signal, and an emission control signal in response tocontrol signals provided from an external source. Additionally, thetiming controller may receive image signals from the external source andmay convert a data format of the image signals to a data formatappropriate to an interface between the data driver 130 and the timingcontroller. The timing controller may provide the image signals whosedata format is converted to the data driver 130.

The scan driver 120 may generate the scan signals in response to thescan control signal, and the emission driver 140 may generate theemission signals in response to the emission control signal. The datadriver 130 may receive the image signals having the converted dataformat and may generate the data voltages corresponding to the imagesignals in response to the data control signal.

The plurality of pixels PX may receive the data voltages in response tothe scan signals. The plurality of pixels PX may emit a light havingbrightness corresponding to the data voltages in response to theemission signals, and as a result, the image may be displayed. A lightemitting time of the plurality of pixels PX may be controlled by theemission signals.

In exemplary embodiments, the scan driver 120, the data driver 130, theemission driver 140, and/or one or more components thereof, may beimplemented via one or more general purpose and/or special purposecomponents, such as one or more discrete circuits, digital signalprocessing chips, integrated circuits, application specific integratedcircuits, microprocessors, processors, programmable arrays, fieldprogrammable arrays, instruction set processors, and/or the like.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the features, functions,processes, etc., described herein may be implemented via software,hardware (e.g., general processor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip,an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware, or a combination thereof. In thismanner, the scan driver 120, the data driver 130, the emission driver140, and/or one or more components thereof may include or otherwise beassociated with one or more memories including code (e.g., instructions)configured to cause the scan driver 120, the data driver 130, theemission driver 140, and/or one or more components thereof to performone or more of the features, functions, processes, etc., describedherein.

The memories may be any medium that participates in providing code tothe one or more software, hardware, and/or firmware components forexecution. Such memories may be implemented in any suitable form,including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, andtransmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks. Volatile media include dynamic memory. Transmissionmedia include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics. Transmissionmedia can also take the form of acoustic, optical, or electromagneticwaves. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, afloppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any othermagnetic medium, a compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), a rewriteablecompact disk (CD-RW), a digital video disk (DVD), a rewriteable DVD(DVD-RW), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, opticalmark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes or otheroptically recognizable indicia, a random-access memory (RAM), aprogrammable read only memory (PROM), and erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge,a carrier wave, or any other medium from which information may be readby, for example, a controller/processor.

The dam members DM1 and DM2 may be disposed in the non-display area NDAto partially or completely surround the display area DA. In detail, thedam members DM1 and DM2 may extend along an edge of the display panel110 to surround the scan driver 120, the data driver 130, and theemission driver 140. The dummy dam member DDM may be disposed betweenthe dam members DM1 and DM2 and the display area DA. As a representativeexample, two dam members DM1 and DM2 are described, but the exemplaryembodiments are not limited thereto, and the number of the dam membersDM1 and DM2 should not be limited to two.

The dam members DM1 and DM2 may include a first dam member DM1 adjacentto the dummy dam member DDM and a second dam member DM2 adjacent to theedge of the display panel 110. The first dam member DM1 may be disposedbetween the dummy dam member DDM and the second dam member DM2. Thefirst and second dam members DM1 and DM2 and the dummy dam member DDMwill be described in more detail below.

FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a representative pixelPX illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates only one representative pixel PX, however, theplurality of pixels PX disposed in the display panel 110 may havesubstantially the same configuration as that of the pixel PX illustratedin FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, the pixel PX may be connected to a correspondingscan line SLi of the scan lines SL1 to SLm, a corresponding data lineDLj of the data lines DL1 to DLn, and a corresponding emission line ELiof the emission lines EL1 to ELm. The “i” is a natural number equal toor less than the “m”, and the “j” is a natural number equal to or lessthan the “n”. The pixel PX may include a light emitting element OLED, adriving transistor T1, a capacitive element Cst, a switching transistorT2, and an emission control transistor T3. The light emitting elementOLED may be, but not limited to, an organic light emitting diode.

A source terminal of the driving transistor T1 may be applied with afirst voltage ELVDD, and a drain terminal of the driving transistor T1may be connected to a source terminal of the emission control transistorT3. A gate terminal of the driving transistor T1 may be connected to adrain terminal of the switching transistor T2.

A gate terminal of the switching transistor T2 may be connected to thescan line SLi, and a source terminal of the switching transistor T2 maybe connected to the data line DLj. A first electrode of the capacitiveelement Cst may be connected to the source terminal of the drivingtransistor T1, and a second electrode of the capacitive element Cst maybe connected to the gate terminal of the driving transistor T1.

A gate terminal of the emission control transistor T3 may be connectedto the emission line ELi, and a drain terminal of the emission controltransistor T3 may be connected to an anode electrode of the lightemitting element OLED. A cathode electrode of the light emitting elementOLED may be applied with a second voltage ELVSS. The second voltageELVSS may have a level lower than a level of the first voltage ELVDD.

The switching transistor T2 may be turned on in response to a scansignal SCAN provided through the scan line SLi. The turned-on switchingtransistor T2 may provide a data voltage DATA, which is provided throughthe data line DLj, to the gate terminal of the driving transistor T1.The capacitive element Cst may be charged with the data voltage DATAapplied to the gate terminal of the driving transistor T1 and maymaintain the charged data voltage DATA after the switching transistor T2is turned off.

The gate terminal of the emission control transistor T3 may receive anemission signal EM through the emission line ELi, and the emissioncontrol transistor T3 may be turned on in response to the emissionsignal EM. The turned-on emission control transistor T3 may provide adriving current I_(oled) flowing through the driving transistor T1 tothe light emitting element OLED. The pixel PX may emit a light while theemission signal EM is applied to the emission control transistor T3. Anintensity of the light emitted from the light emitting element OLED maybe changed depending on the amount of the driving current I_(oled).

In an exemplary embodiment, the transistors T1, T2, and T3 of the pixelPX are PMOS transistors, but the exemplary embodiments are not limitedthereto or thereby. That is, the transistors T1, T2, and T3 of the pixelPX may be NMOS transistors.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the pixel PX illustratedin FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, the pixel PX may include a light emitting elementOLED and a transistor TR connected to the light emitting element OLED.The transistor TR may be the emission control transistor T3 illustratedin FIG. 2. The transistor TR and the light emitting element OLED may bedisposed on a substrate SUB, and the substrate SUB may include atransparent flexible substrate made of a plastic material withflexibility. For example, the substrate SUB may include polyimide (PI).

A buffer layer BFL may be disposed on the substrate SUB and may includean inorganic material. A semiconductor layer SM of the transistor TR maybe disposed on the buffer layer BFL. The semiconductor layer SM mayinclude an inorganic semiconductor, such as amorphous silicon orpoly-silicon, or may include an organic semiconductor. Alternatively,the semiconductor layer SM may include an oxide semiconductor. Althoughnot shown in FIG. 3, the semiconductor layer SM may include a sourceregion, a drain region, and a channel region between the source regionand the drain region.

A first insulating layer INS1 may be disposed on the buffer layer BFL tocover the semiconductor layer SM. The first insulating layer INS1 mayinclude an inorganic material. A gate electrode GE of the transistor TRmay be disposed on the first insulating layer INS1 to overlap with thesemiconductor layer SM. The gate electrode GE may be disposed to overlapwith the channel region of the semiconductor layer SM.

A second insulating layer INS2 may be disposed on the first insulatinglayer INS1 to cover the gate electrode GE. The second insulating layerINS2 may be referred to as an interlayer insulating layer. The secondinsulating layer INS2 may include an organic material and/or aninorganic material.

A source electrode SE and a drain electrode DE of the transistor TR maybe spaced apart from each other and may be disposed on the secondinsulating layer INS2. The source electrode SE may be connected to thesource region of the semiconductor layer SM through a first contact holeCH1 defined through the first and second insulating layers INS1 andINS2. The drain electrode DE may be connected to the drain region of thesemiconductor layer SM through a second contact hole CH2 defined throughthe first and second insulating layers INS1 and INS2.

A third insulating layer INS3 may be disposed on the second insulatinglayer INS2 to cover the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DEof the transistor TR. The third insulating layer INS3 may be referred toas a planarization layer to provide a flat top surface. The thirdinsulating layer INS3 may include an organic material.

A first electrode E1 of the light emitting element OLED may be disposedon the third insulating layer INS3. The first electrode E1 may beconnected to the drain electrode DE of the transistor TR through a thirdcontact hole CH3 defined through the third insulating layer INS3. Thefirst electrode E1 may be referred to as a pixel electrode or an anodeelectrode. The first electrode E1 may include a transparent electrode ora reflective electrode.

A pixel defining layer PDL may be disposed on the first electrode E1 andthe third insulating layer INS3 to expose a predetermined portion of thefirst electrode E1. An opening portion OP may be defined through thepixel defining layer PDL to expose the predetermined portion of thefirst electrode E1. An area in which the opening portion OP is definedmay be referred to as a pixel area PA. A periphery of the pixel area PAmay be referred to as a non-pixel area NPA.

An organic light emitting layer OEL may be disposed on the firstelectrode E1 in the opening portion OP. The organic light emitting layerOEL may include an organic material capable of generating a light havingone of a red color, a green color, and a blue color. Therefore, theorganic light emitting layer OEL may generate one of red, green, andblue lights, however the exemplary embodiments are not be limitedthereto or thereby. That is, the organic light emitting layer OEL maygenerate a white light by a combination of organic materialsrespectively generating red light, green light, and blue light.

The organic light emitting layer OEL may include a low-molecular organicmaterial or a high-molecular organic material. Although not shown inFIG. 3, the organic light emitting layer OEL may be formed of amulti-layer structure of a hole injection layer (HIL), a holetransporting layer (HTL), a light emitting layer (EML), an electrontransporting layer (ETL), and an electron injection layer (EIL). Thehole injection layer may be disposed on the first electrode E1. The holetransporting layer, the light emitting layer, the electron transportinglayer, and the electron injection layer may be sequentially stacked onthe hole injection layer.

A second electrode E2 of the light emitting element OLED may be disposedon the pixel defining layer PDL and the organic light emitting layerOEL. The second electrode E2 may be referred to as a common electrode ora cathode electrode. The second electrode E2 may include a transparentelectrode or a reflective electrode.

When the display panel 110 is a front emission type organic lightemitting display panel, the first electrode E1 may be the reflectiveelectrode, and the second electrode E2 may be the transparent electrode.When the display panel 110 is a rear emission type organic lightemitting display panel, the first electrode E1 may be the transparentelectrode, and the second electrode E2 may be the reflective electrode.

The light emitting element OLED may be disposed in the pixel area PA andmay include the first electrode E1, the organic light emitting layerOEL, and the second electrode E2 in the pixel area PA. The firstelectrode E1 may be an anode configured to inject holes, and the secondelectrode E2 may be a cathode configured to inject electrons.

A thin film encapsulation layer TFE may be disposed on the lightemitting element OLED to cover the pixel PX. The thin film encapsulationlayer TFE may be disposed on the second electrode E2. The thin filmencapsulation layer TFE may include a first encapsulation layer EN1disposed on the light emitting element OLED, a second encapsulationlayer EN2 disposed on the first encapsulation layer EN1, and a thirdencapsulation layer EN3 disposed on the second encapsulation layer EN2.Each of the first and third encapsulation layers EN1 and EN3 may includean inorganic material, and the second encapsulation layer EN2 mayinclude an organic material. The second encapsulation layer EN2 may havea thickness greater than a thickness of each of the first and thirdencapsulation layers EN1 and EN3.

The first voltage ELVDD may be applied to the first electrode E1 throughthe transistor TR, and the second voltage ELVSS may be applied to thesecond electrode E2. Holes and electrons injected in the organic lightemitting layer OEL may be combined with each other to generate excitons(electron-hole pairs), and the excitons may transit from an excitedstate to a ground state to emit light from the light emitting elementOLED. The light emitting element OLED may emit one of red light, greenlight, and blue light having an intensity depending on a drivingcurrent, and thus image information may be displayed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I′ illustrated inFIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a portion of the dummy dammember DDM illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view takenalong a line II-IF illustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the substrate SUB may includethe display area DA and the non-display area NDA, and the display areaDA of the substrate SUB may include the pixel area PA and the non-pixelarea NPA. The pixel PX may be disposed in the display area DA of thesubstrate SUB. The first and second dam members DM1 and DM2 and thedummy dam member DDM may be disposed in the non-display area NDA of thesubstrate SUB.

The scan driver 120 may include a plurality of transistors, and thetransistors of the scan driver 120 may be disposed on the substrate SUB.For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 4 shows one transistor TS ofthe scan driver 120 as an exemplary embodiment. Also, in thecross-sectional view of FIG. 4, a portion where the scan driver 120 isdisposed is illustrated in a relatively reduced size.

The buffer layer BFL and the first insulating layer INS1 may be disposedin the display area DA and the non-display area NDA of the substrateSUB. The second insulating layer INS2 may be disposed in the displayarea DA of the substrate SUB. The second insulating layer INS2 mayextend to a portion of the non-display area NDA adjacent to the dummydam member DDM, and the second insulating layer INS2 may be disposedadjacent to the dummy dam member DDM.

The third insulating layer INS3 disposed in the display area DA of thesubstrate SUB may extend to the portion of the non-display area NDAadjacent to the dummy dam member DDM, and the third insulating layerINS3 may be disposed adjacent to the dummy dam member DDM and may bedisposed on the second insulating layer INS2 in the portion of thenon-display area NDA. The third insulating layer INS3 may be disposed onthe transistors TR and TS to cover the transistor TR in the display areaDA and the transistor TS in the non-display area NDA. The light emittingelement OLED may be disposed on the third insulating layer INS3. Thesecond electrode E2 of the light emitting element OLED may extend to thenon-display area NDA and may be disposed on the third insulating layerINS3 in the non-display area NDA.

The first and second dam members DM1 and DM2 may be disposed in thenon-display area NDA of the substrate SUB and may extend along the edgeof the substrate SUB. The dummy dam member DDM may be disposed on thesubstrate SUB between the first and second dam members DM1 and DM2 andthe display area DA. As shown in FIG. 5, cavities that may be in theform of recesses, openings, holes of other type of discontinuity in thesurface of the dummy dam member that may receive or direct organicmaterial flowing from another layer during manufacture as described inmore detail herein. For ease of description, the cavities in theillustrated embodiment are shown as holes H that may be defined throughthe dummy dam member DDM. The holes H may be arranged in a plurality ofcolumns. The holes H arranged in an h-th column of the columns may bealternately arranged with the holes H arranged in an (h+1)-th column(adjacent column) of the columns. In this manner, the holes H arrangedin the h-th column are staggered from so as not to be arranged parallelto the holes H arranged in the (h+1)-th column in the transverse (row)direction, where “h” is a natural number.

The dummy dam member DDM may be disposed on the substrate SUB as asingle layer. The dummy dam member DDM may include an organic material.For example, a photoresist including the organic material may bedisposed on the substrate SUB to form the dummy dam member DDM, andthen, predetermined portions of the photoresist may be removed to definethe holes H.

The first dam member DM1 may have a height higher than a height of thedummy dam member DDM, and the second dam member DM2 may have a heighthigher than the height of the first dam member DM1. A space between thefirst dam member DM1 and the second dam member DM2 may be defined as agroove. The second dam member DM2 may be disposed adjacent to the edgeof the substrate SUB, and the first dam member DM1 may be disposedbetween the dummy dam member DDM and the second dam member DM2. Theheight of each of the first and second dam members DM1 and DM2 and thedummy dam member DDM may be defined by a distance between a bottomsurface and a top surface of each of the first and second dam membersDM1 and DM2 and the dummy dam member DDM.

The dummy dam member DDM may have a width larger than a width of each ofthe first and second dam members DM1 and DM2. The width of each of thefirst and second dam members DM1 and DM2 and the dummy dam member DDMmay be defined by a distance between one side and the other side of eachof the first and second dam members DM1 and DM2 and the dummy dam memberDDM. The dummy dam member DDM may have a thickness in a range of about 2micrometers (μm) to about 5 micrometers (μm). The dummy dam member DDMmay have a width greater than or equal to about 10 micrometers (μm). Ofcourse other dimensions may be used depending upon the particularapplication.

The first dam member DM1 may include a first dam insulating layer DM1_1disposed on the substrate SUB, a second dam insulating layer DM1_2disposed on the first dam insulating layer DM1_1, and a third daminsulating layer DM1_3 disposed on the second dam insulating layerDM1_2. The second dam member DM2 may include a fourth dam insulatinglayer DM2_1 disposed on the substrate SUB, a fifth dam insulating layerDM2_2 disposed on the fourth dam insulating layer DM2_1, a sixth daminsulating layer DM2_3 disposed on the fifth dam insulating layer DM2_2,and a seventh dam insulating layer DM2_4 disposed on the sixth daminsulating layer DM2_3.

The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh daminsulating layers DM1_1, DM1_2, DM1_3, DM2_1, DM2_2, DM2_3, and DM2_4may include an organic material. The first, second, third, fourth,fifth, and sixth dam insulating layers DM1_1, DM1_2, DM1_3, DM2_1,DM2_2, and DM2_3 may include the same material as at least one of thesecond insulating layer INS2, the third insulating INS3, and the pixeldefining layer PDL. The seventh dam insulating layer DM2_4 may includean organic material different from the second insulating layer INS2, thethird insulating INS3, and the pixel defining layer PDL. However, theexemplary embodiments are not limited thereto or thereby. That is, theseventh dam insulating layer DM2_4 may include the same organic materialas at least one of the second insulating layer INS2, the thirdinsulating INS3, and the pixel defining layer PDL.

The first encapsulation layer EN1 may be disposed on the substrate SUBto cover the light emitting element OLED, the third insulating layerINS3, the dummy dam member DDM, and the first and second dam members DM1and DM2. When the first encapsulation layer EN1 is disposed on the dummydam member DDM, since the first encapsulation layer EN1 is disposed at alower position in portions in which the holes H of the dummy dam memberDDM are defined as shown in FIG. 6, grooves G may be defined in thefirst encapsulation layer EN1.

The second encapsulation layer EN2 may be disposed on the firstencapsulation layer EN1 in the display area DA and may extend to thenon-display area NDA. The second encapsulation layer EN2 may be disposedon a predetermined portion of the third insulating layer INS3 adjacentto a boundary of the third insulating layer INS3 in the non-display areaNDA. The third encapsulation layer EN3 may be disposed on the firstencapsulation layer EN1 to cover the second encapsulation layer EN2. Thedummy dam member DDM may be disposed between boundaries of the secondand third insulating layers INS2 and INS3 and the first dam member DM1.The height of the dummy dam member DDM may be lower than a height of atop surface of the second insulating layer INS2.

When the thin film encapsulation layer TFE of the display apparatus 100is manufactured, a liquid organic material may be provided on the firstencapsulation layer EN1 to form the second encapsulation layer EN2. Ifexcessive amounts of the liquid organic material are provided on thefirst encapsulation layer EN1, the organic material may overflow thesubstrate SUB and cause problems in reliability and/or requireadditional processing steps to remove the excess material.

According to the principles and exemplary embodiments of the invention,when the liquid organic material is excessively provided, the excessorganic material may be accommodated or contained in the holes H of thedummy dam member DDM. Substantially, the excess organic material may beaccommodated or contained in the grooves G of the first encapsulationlayer EN1 defined by the holes H. Additionally, the excess organicmaterial may be accommodated or contained in the groove between thefirst dam member DM1 and the second dam member DM2, thereby reducing orpreventing irregularities or defects in other components or layers inthe display and/or obviating additional processing steps to remove theexcess material.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first organic material OR1 flowing between rowsof holes H arranged in a first column may be accommodated or containedin holes H arranged in a second column (or a middle column), and thesecond organic material OR2 flowing toward the holes H arranged in afirst column may be accommodated or contained in the holes H arranged inthe first column. When the holes H arranged in the second column arearranged in the same rows as the holes H arranged in the first columnand holes H arranged in a third column, the first organic material OR1flowing between the rows of holes H may not be accommodated or containedin the holes H and pass through between the rows of the holes H. Thus, astaggered arrangement of holes is advantageous.

In the illustrated embodiment, since the holes H arranged in the secondcolumn are alternately arranged so as to be staggered with the holes Harranged in the first column and the holes H arranged in the thirdcolumn, the first organic material OR1 may be accommodated or containedin the holes H arranged in the second column. That is, a flow of thefirst organic material OR1 may be effectively blocked or contained.Therefore, the excess organic material may be effectively accommodatedor contained in the holes H in the dummy dam member DDM.

Consequently, the display apparatus 100 according to the illustratedembodiment may effectively block the excess organic material by usingthe first and second dam members DM1 and DM2 disposed adjacent to theedge of the display panel 110 and the dummy dam member DDM through whichthe holes H are defined.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are plan views illustrating various exemplaryembodiments of dummy dam members that may be used in the displayapparatus 100 constructed according to exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

Hereinafter, structures of dummy dam members DDMP, DDMP1, DDMP2, andDDMP3 different from that of the dummy dam member DDM shown in FIGS. 4and 5 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10.In FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10, the same reference numerals denote the sameelements as those in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Referring to FIG. 7, the dummy dam member DDMP may include a bodyportion BD and protruding portions P extending from the body portion BD.The body portion BD may surround the display area DA, holes H may bedefined through the body portion BD, and the holes H shown in FIG. 7 maybe substantially the same as the holes H shown in FIG. 5. The bodyportion BD may have substantially the same structure as the dummy dammember DDM shown in FIG. 5. The protruding portions P may extend fromone side of the body portion BD toward the display area DA, and each ofthe protruding portions P may have a rectangular shape. The protrudingportions P may be alternately arranged so as to be staggered in atransverse (row) direction with respect to holes H arranged in a columnadjacent to the protruding portions P.

Referring back to FIG. 5, one side of the dummy dam member DDM, whichdoes not include the protruding portions P, may have a substantiallyflat shape. The one side of the dummy dam member DDM may face thedisplay area DA. However, referring to FIG. 7, when the protrudingportions P are disposed at the one side of the body portion BD, asurface area of the side of the dummy dam member DDMP facing the displayarea DA may increase due to the protruding portions P disposed on theone side of the dummy dam member DDMP. In this case, since an amount ofthe excess organic material contacting the one side of the dummy dammember DDMP may increase, the excess organic material may be blockedmore effectively.

Referring to FIG. 8, the dummy dam member DDMP1 may include a bodyportion BD and protruding portions P_1 extending from one side of thebody portion BD, and each of the protruding portions P_1 may have atriangular shape. Other structures of the dummy dam member DDMP1 aresubstantially the same as those of the dummy dam member DDMP shown inFIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 9, the dummy dam member DDMP2 may include a bodyportion BD and a protruding portions P_2 extending from one side of thebody portion BD, and each of the protruding portions P_2 may have asemicircular shape. Other structures of the dummy dam member DDMP2 aresubstantially the same as those of the dummy dam member DDMP shown inFIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 10, the dummy dam member DDMP3 may include a bodyportion BD and a protruding portions P_3 extending from one side of thebody portion BD, and each of the protruding portions P_3 may have arectangular shape. Two protruding portions P_3, which are adjacent toeach other, of the protruding portions P_3 may have extend differentamounts to have different sizes from each other. Other structures of thedummy dam member DDMP3 are substantially the same as those of the dummydam member DDMP shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatus 200constructed according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.

For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional viewcorresponding to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4. The displayapparatus 200 according to the second exemplary embodiment may havesubstantially the same cross-sectional configuration as that of thedisplay apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 except for an arrangement of adummy dam member DDM′. Accordingly, the arrangement of the dummy dammember DDM′ of the display apparatus 200 will be mainly described, anddescriptions of the other configurations of the display apparatus 200that are substantially the same as the display apparatus 100 shown inFIG. 4 will be omitted to avoid redundancy. Additionally, in FIG. 11,the same reference numerals denote the same elements as those in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 11, unlike the dummy dam member DDM shown in FIG. 4,the dummy dam member DDM′ may be disposed on the third insulating layerINS3 between the boundary of the third insulating layer INS3 and aboundary of the second encapsulation layer EN2. Therefore, the dummy dammember DDM′ may be disposed on the second electrode E2 of thenon-display area NDA.

The dummy dam member DDM′ may have a size smaller than that of the dummydam member DDM shown in FIG. 4, but may have substantially the samestructure as that of the dummy dam member DDM. For example, theplurality of holes H may also be defined through the dummy dam memberDDM′ substantially the same as the dummy dam member DDM shown in FIG. 5.Additionally, the dummy dam member DDM′ may also include the protrudingportions P, P_1, P_2, and P_3 having a rectangular shape, a triangularshape, a semicircular shape, or a rectangular shape of different sizessubstantially the same as the dummy dam members DDMP, DDMP1, DDMP2, andDDMP3 shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10. The dummy dam member DDM′ may havea thickness in a range of about 2 micrometers (μm) to about 5micrometers (μm). The dummy dam member DDM′ may have a width greaterthan or equal to about 10 micrometers (μm). Of course other dimensionsmay be used depending upon the particular application.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatus 300constructed according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention.FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a portion of the dummy dam members DDM1and DDM2 illustrated in FIG. 12.

For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional viewcorresponding to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4. The displayapparatus 300 according to the third exemplary embodiment may havesubstantially the same configuration as that of the display apparatus100 shown in FIG. 4 except for the dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2.Accordingly, the dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 will be mainlydescribed, and descriptions of the other configurations of the displayapparatus 300 that are substantially the same as the display apparatus100 shown in FIG. 4 will be omitted to avoid redundancy. Additionally,in FIG. 12, the same reference numerals denote the same elements asthose in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the display apparatus 300 may includedummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2, and the dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2may be disposed on the substrate SUB between the first dam member DM1and the display area DA. Each of the dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 mayhave a height lower than a height of the first dam member DM1.

The dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 may include a first dummy dam memberDDM1 disposed adjacent to boundaries of the second and third insulatinglayers INS2 and INS3 and a second dummy dam member DDM2 disposed betweenthe first dummy dam member DDM1 and the dam members DM1 and DM2. Thefirst and second dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 may be disposed betweenthe boundaries of the second and third insulating layers INS2 and INS3and the first dam member DM1. The first and second dummy dam membersDDM1 and DDM2 may include side wall portions SW1 and SW2 extending topartially or completely surround the display area DA and protrudingportions P1 and P2 extending from one sides of the side wall portionsSW1 and SW2.

The first dummy dam member DDM1 may include a first side wall portionSW1 and a plurality of first protruding portions P1 extending from oneside of the first side wall portion SW1 toward the display area DA. Thesecond dummy dam member DDM2 may include a second side wall portion SW2and a plurality of second protruding portions P2 extending from one sideof the second side wall portion SW2 toward the display area DA. Thefirst protruding portions P1 may be alternately arranged so as to bestaggered with the second protruding portions P2, and each of the firstand second protruding portions P1 and P2 may have a rectangular shape.

Each of the first and second dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 may have athickness in a range of about 2 micrometers (μm) to about 5 micrometers(μm). Each of the first and second dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 mayhave a width greater than or equal to about 10 micrometers (μm). Ofcourse other dimensions may be used depending upon the particularapplication. The thickness of each of the first and second dummy dammembers DDM1 and DDM2 may be defined by a distance between a bottomsurface and a top surface of each of the first and second dummy dammembers DDM1 and DDM2. The width of each of the first and second dummydam members DDM1 and DDM2 may be defined by a distance between one sidesurface and the other side surface of each of the first and second dummydam members DDM1 and DDM2.

Excess organic material may be firstly blocked by the first and seconddummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 and may be secondly blocked by the firstand second dam members DM1 and DM2. Since the first and second dummy dammembers DDM1 and DDM2 include the first and second protruding portionsP1 and P2, a surface area of the one side of each of the first andsecond dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 facing the display area DA mayincrease, and as a result, the excess organic material may be blockedmore effectively. Additionally, since the first and second protrudingportions P1 and P2 are alternately arranged with each other, the flow ofthe organic material may be suppressed more effectively than when thefirst and second protruding portions P1 and P2 are disposed parallel toeach other in a straight line relationship.

Consequently, the display apparatus 300 according to the illustratedembodiment may effectively block excess organic material by using thefirst and second dam members DM1 and DM2 and the first and second dummydam members DDM1 and DDM2.

FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 are plan views illustrating various exemplaryembodiments of the dummy dam member that may be used in the displayapparatus 300 constructed according to exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

Hereinafter, structures of first and second dummy dam members DDM1_1,DDM2_1, DDM1_2, DDM2_2, DDM1_3, and DDM2_3 different from those of thefirst and second dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 shown in FIG. 13 willbe mainly described with reference to FIGS. 14, 15, and 16. In FIGS. 14,15, and 16, the same reference numerals denote the same elements asthose in FIG. 13.

Referring to FIG. 14, the first dummy dam member DDM1_1 may include afirst side wall portion SW1 and first protruding portions P1_1 extendingfrom one side of the first side wall portion SW1. The second dummy dammember DDM2_1 may include a second side wall portion SW2 and secondprotruding portions P2_1 extending from one side of the second side wallportion SW2. The first and second protruding portions P1_1 and P2_1 mayhave a triangular shape.

Referring to FIG. 15, the first dummy dam member DDM1_2 may include afirst side wall portion SW1 and first protruding portions P1_2 extendingfrom one side of the first side wall portion SW1. The second dummy dammember DDM2_2 may include a second side wall portion SW2 and secondprotruding portions P2_2 extending from one side of the second side wallportion SW2. The first and second protruding portions P1_2 and P2_2 mayhave a semicircular shape.

Referring to FIG. 16, the first dummy dam member DDM1_3 may include afirst side wall portion SW1 and first protruding portions P1_3 extendingfrom one side of the first side wall portion SW1. The second dummy dammember DDM2_3 may include a second side wall portion SW2 and secondprotruding portions P2_3 extending from one side of the second side wallportion SW2. The first and second protruding portions P1_3 and P2_3 mayhave a rectangular shape. The first protruding portions P1_3, which areadjacent to each other, of the first protruding portions P1_3 may havedifferent sizes from each other. The second protruding portions P2_3,which are adjacent to each other, of the second protruding portions P2_3may have different sizes from each other.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatus 400constructed according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention.

For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional viewcorresponding to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4. The displayapparatus 400 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment may havesubstantially the same configuration as that of the display apparatus300 shown in FIG. 12 except for arrangements of dummy dam members DDM1′and DDM2′. Accordingly, the arrangements of the dummy dam members DDM1′and DDM2′ of the display apparatus 400 will be mainly described, anddescriptions of the other configurations of the display apparatus 400that are substantially the same as the display apparatus 300 shown inFIG. 12 will be omitted to avoid redundancy. Additionally, in FIG. 17,the same reference numerals denote the same elements as those in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 17, unlike the dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 shownin FIG. 12, the dummy dam members DDM1′ and DDM2′ may be disposed on thethird insulating layer INS3 between the boundary of the third insulatinglayer INS3 and the boundary of the second encapsulation layer EN2.

The dummy dam members DDM1′ and DDM2′ may have a size smaller than thedummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2 shown in FIG. 12, but may have the samestructures as those of the dummy dam members DDM1 and DDM2. For example,the dummy dam members DDM1′ and DDM2′ may include the protrudingportions P1, P2, P1_1, P2_1, P1_2, P2_2, P1_3, and P2_3 having therectangular shape, the triangular shape, the semicircular shape, or therectangular shapes of different sizes as the dummy dam members DDM1,DDM2, DDM1_1, DDM2_1, DDM1_2, DDM2_2, DDM1_3, and DDM2_3 shown in FIGS.13, 14, 15, and 16. The first and second dummy dam members DDM1′ andDDM2′ may have a thickness in a range of about 2 micrometers (μm) toabout 5 micrometers (μm). The first and second dummy dam members DDM1′and DDM2′ may have a width greater than or equal to about 10 micrometers(μm). Of course other dimensions may be used depending upon theparticular application.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display apparatus 500constructed according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the invention.FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating first and second dam membersDM1′ and DM2′ shown in FIG. 18. FIG. 20 is a plan view illustratingfirst and second dam members DM1′ and DM2′ illustrated in FIG. 19.

For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 18 shows a cross-sectional viewcorresponding to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4. The displayapparatus 500 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment may havesubstantially the same configuration as that of the display apparatus100 shown in FIG. 4 except that the dummy dam member DDM is not includedin the display apparatus 500 and configurations of first and second dammembers DM1′ and DM2′. Accordingly, the configurations of the first andsecond dam members DM1′ and DM2′ of the display apparatus 500 will bemainly described, and descriptions of the other configurations of thedisplay apparatus 500 that are substantially the same as the displayapparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 will be omitted to avoid redundancy.Additionally, in FIG. 18, the same reference numerals denote the sameelements as those in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 18, FIG. 19, and FIG. 20, the first dam member DM1′may be disposed between the second dam member DM2′ and the display areaDA, and the second dam member DM2′ may be disposed adjacent to the edgeof the substrate SUB.

The first dam member DM1′ may include a first side wall portion SW3_1extending to surround the display area DA and first protruding portionsP3_1 extending from one side of the first side wall portion SW3_1 towardthe display area DA. The second dam member DM2′ may include a secondside wall portion SW3_2 extending to surround the display area DA andsecond protruding portions P3_2 extending from one side of the secondside wall portion SW3_2 toward the display area DA.

A stacked structure of the first and second dam members DM1′ and DM2′may be substantially the same as that of the first and second dammembers DM1 and DM2 shown in FIG. 4. Accordingly, for the convenience ofexplanation, reference numerals of configurations of the first andsecond dam members DM1′ and DM2′ are omitted in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19.

As shown in FIG. 20, the first protruding portions P3_1 may bealternately arranged so as to be staggered with the second protrudingportions P3_2. For the convenience of explanation, FIG. 20 shows only astructure of an uppermost layer of each of the first and second dammembers DM1′ and DM2′. Since a surface area of one side of each of thefirst and second dam members DM1′ and DM2′ increases due to the firstprotruding portions P3_1 and the second protruding portions P3_2, excessorganic material may be blocked more effectively.

According to the principles and exemplary embodiments of the invention,the display apparatus may include the dam members adjacent to the edgeof the display panel and the dummy dam member including the holesdefined in the dummy dam member. When the organic material provided toform a component such as a second encapsulation layer of a thin filmencapsulation layer is excessively provided on the substrate, the excessorganic material may be accommodated or contained in the holes of thedummy dam members and grooves between the dam members. Thus, the excessorganic material may be effectively blocked or limited withoutoverflowing the substrate or causes defects in other components.

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are notlimited thereto, but rather to the broader scope of the appended claimsand various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements as wouldbe apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a substratehaving a display area and a non-display area at least partiallysurrounding the display area; a plurality of pixels disposed in thedisplay area of the substrate; a plurality of first projections disposedon a surface of the non-display area of the substrate extending in adirection perpendicular to the substrate, and located adjacent an edgeof the substrate; and a second projection disposed on the substratebetween the plurality of first projections and the display area, whereinthe second projection includes: a plurality of first cavities arrangedin a first column; and a plurality of second cavities arranged in asecond column to limit flow of excess organic material duringmanufacture, wherein the plurality of first cavities and second cavitiesare arranged in the first and second columns adjacent to each other, andthe first and second cavities are arranged to be staggered with eachother in left and right patterns.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the second projection includes a dummy dam member disposed onthe substrate as a single layer.
 3. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the second projection includes organic material.
 4. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the second projection has widths greaterthan widths of each of the plurality of first projections.
 5. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first projectionsinclude dam members and the second projection includes a dummy dammember, each dam member comprising: a first dam member having a heighthigher than a height of the dummy dam member; and a second dam memberhaving a height higher than the height of the first dam member, whereinthe second dam member is disposed adjacent to the edge of the substrate,and wherein the first dam member is disposed between the dummy dammember and the second dam member.
 6. The display apparatus of claim 5,wherein the first dam member comprises: a first dam insulating layerdisposed on the substrate; a second dam insulating layer disposed on thefirst dam insulating layer; and a third dam insulating layer disposed onthe second dam insulating layer.
 7. The display apparatus of claim 6,wherein the second dam member comprises: a fourth dam insulating layerdisposed on the substrate; a fifth dam insulating layer disposed on thefourth dam insulating layer; a sixth dam insulating layer disposed onthe fifth dam insulating layer; and a seventh dam insulating layerdisposed on the sixth dam insulating layer.
 8. The display apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein each of the first dam insulating layer, the second daminsulating layer, the third dam insulating layer, the fourth daminsulating layer, the fifth dam insulating layer, the sixth daminsulating layer, and the seventh dam insulating layer comprises organicmaterial.
 9. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstcavities comprise holes and the second projection: a body portion inwhich the holes are defined, the body portion at least partiallysurrounding the display area; and a plurality of protruding portionsextending from one side of the body portion facing the display area. 10.The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of protrudingportions are staggered in a transverse direction with respect to thefirst cavities arranged in the first column adjacent to the plurality ofprotruding portions.
 11. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein eachof the plurality of protruding portions has at least one of arectangular shape, a triangular shape, and a semicircular shape.
 12. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 9, wherein adjacent protruding portions havedifferent sizes from each other.
 13. The display apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: an insulating layer disposed in the display area ofthe substrate and extending to the non-display area adjacent to thefirst projection; and a thin film encapsulation layer covering theplurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels comprises: aplurality of transistors disposed on the substrate; and a plurality oflight emitting elements connected to the plurality of transistors,wherein the insulating layer is disposed on the plurality oftransistors, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements aredisposed on the insulating layer and connected to the plurality oftransistors through a plurality of contact holes defined through theinsulating layer, and wherein the thin film encapsulation layer isdisposed on the plurality of light emitting elements.
 14. The displayapparatus of claim 13, wherein the thin film encapsulation layercomprises: a first encapsulation layer disposed on the substrate tocover the plurality of light emitting elements in the display area andthe insulating layer, the second projection, and the plurality of firstprojections in the non-display area; a second encapsulation layerdisposed on the first encapsulation layer in the display area andextending to the non-display area, the second encapsulation layer beingdisposed on a portion of the insulating layer adjacent to a boundary ofthe insulating layer in the non-display area; and a third encapsulationlayer disposed on the first encapsulation layer to cover the secondencapsulation layer.
 15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein eachof the first and third encapsulation layers comprises an inorganicmaterial and the second encapsulation layer comprises an organicmaterial and the cavities are configured to receive excessive organicmaterial from the second encapsulation layer.
 16. The display apparatusof claim 14, wherein the second projection is disposed between theboundary of the insulating layer and the plurality of first projections.17. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second is disposed onthe insulating layer and between the boundary of the insulating layerand a boundary of the second encapsulation layer.